New Sprouts in the Garden 

      Mondays last shift was getting use to solely working.  Today was our day back spreading seeds in the heads of young kindergarteners.  This group was well engaged as their eyes scanned the garden to seek for answers of the unknown.  Most of the kids were just introduced to all of what the garden contained, and others were able to tell you what was growing where.  Excitement gleamed from them as they questioned everything that crossed their mind.  It was so wonderful to finally see the garden growing with life as the kids watered it with their imaginations. Often they would ask, "can I eat this?" when you would tell them what was growing where.  They couldn't believe that their own school was growing food that they themselves have consumed. 

       The water cycle was the lesson the kids got rooted into their heads today.  It seems that they still have a hard time grasping the natural world because they believe that water either comes from pipes or bathrooms.  We tried to explain to them the most general ideas that we thought they could grasp.  Our fingers made a circle as we talked about the cycle of water.  However, we narrowed our vocabulary to keep their attention.  We were able to reach the fact that water comes from the sky and gives life to the earth before going back through the cycle.  They were surprised when talked about plants breathing too or that water comes in many forms, because they didn't realize that water can be a gas, liquid, or solid.  

      Success was overall reached today as new faces were introduced to the edible peace patch.  The kids are looking forward to the plants growing, while I am looking forward to their knowledge of the environment expanding to a new level.